Gross domestic hatred

Have you noticed that there is still so much hatred on our timelines and social media feeds, day in and day out? I say still because this antagonistic attitude is usually more prevalent during election season.

But elections are over and ex-president Rody Duterte has quietly retired. I mention him, too, because, whether his supporters like it or not, we can’t deny the reality that the tough ex-mayor of Davao influenced a lot of the hate culture we’re seeing now because he spewed so much hatred during his speeches as president, sending a signal to everyone that it’s all OK. It doesn’t matter if this was all for show, or a spur-of-the-moment thing. The fact is, it’s out there.

Here are some of his most controversial quotes peppered with so much vitriol:

On drug addicts: “Hitler massacred 3 million Jews ... there’s 3 million drug addicts. There are. I’d be happy to slaughter them.”

On how he would explain the drug war to Barack Obama: “Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum.”

On criminals: “If you are corrupt, I will fetch you using a helicopter to Manila and I will throw you out. I have done this before. Why would I not do it again?”

On Pope Francis’ visit to Manila in 2016 which caused traffic: “I wanted to call him: ‘Pope, son of a whore, go home. Do not visit us again.’”

And many more. But this isn’t really about Duterte and his unorthodox leadership style and controversial remarks.

This is really about how we as a people and as a society have really spiraled down to gutter levels when it comes to engaging one another.

A quick scroll through one’s social media accounts would show just how much hatred there is – so much so that if we could actually monetize every vulgar and cuss word hurled against each other, our country would be so rich our neighbors would be green with envy.

I’m not saying we all just kiss and make up, love one another or transform into Mr. or Ms. Congeniality, but couldn’t we actually engage each other like real adults and not act like kids bullying each other with personal attacks?

Whatever happened to respectful dialogues? Whatever happened to fair criticisms given in non-threatening ways?

I see posts attacking people based on their gender, their marital status, their weight, their cellulites, their clothes and so much more. I’m not saying there’s no room for criticism but couldn’t we focus on the issues instead of engaging in name-calling?  Oh, how toxic our society has become.

Hatred and politics

Of course, I’m well aware that hatred is usually related to politics and the economy.

I personally believe that Duterte won because of so much pent-up anger and frustration among the masses whose lives didn’t really improve despite the promises of Aquino’s Daang Matuwid.

Sure, the economy grew during Aquino’s time but most of us still faced the same problems – lack of efficient public and social services, horrendous traffic, the worst airport in the world and still unresolved corruption.

There was that anger from people who felt left out by the ruling oligarchy.

But anger and hatred are two different things. Anger is a negative emotion that all humans feel as a result of something that can cause frustration, but hate shuts down reason.

In our case, most of the anger has turned into hate, characterized by personal and vulgar attacks and name calling.

People from all sides of the political spectrum are guilty. There’s the holier-than-thou Yellows who audaciously think they’re the only ones who can get it right; and the anti-yellow and anti-pink trolls who attack those who aren’t on their side.

The cost of hatred

Throughout history, we’ve seen the cost of hatred. We’ve seen it happen in other countries, of how anti-semitism, xenophobia, anti African-American, Asian hate, etc. have led to violent attacks and deaths.

Do we really want a society like this? Do we really want the succeeding generations to inherit a culture full of hatred?

Besides, what do we really get from spewing so much hatred? Do we actually get people to agree with us and listen to us?

I read an interesting theory from American Harvard economist Edward Glaeser who said that hatred is the outcome of a political market in which self-interested political entrepreneurs interact with everyday citizens.

“Both the purveyors and consumers of hatred behave strategically. Politicians supply hatred if it complements their policies. If the poor are disproportionately black, then politicians who oppose welfare may find it useful to preach race hatred. Consumers demand hatred if it fills some psychological need (such as explaining their own past failures) or if hate-creating messages appear to convey useful information,” he said.

The solution then? Perhaps if we understand the cause of hatred in society, we can minimize it. We can do this by addressing inequality and protecting the rule of law so nobody feels left behind.

We must also inculcate a better culture of respect to this nation’s children. Perhaps, if we start them young, they can grow to become better adults.

It may also help if we remind ourselves everyday that it’s a lot easier to argue in a rational manner than to spew hate, insults and below-the-belt attacks.

But then again, if you really can’t help it, remember that even Michael Corleone advised his nephew, protegé and successor Vincent Mancini against it:

“Never hate your enemies, it affects your judgement.”

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.